Frozen Food Journal

Weekend Wrap #6

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:46:00 +0000

What to expect next week:
Amazingly October, despite having the lowest number of entries in Frozen Food Journal history, garnered the highest traffic numbers. Let's hope that trend continues because it appears November will be yet another slow month. Work has really been picking up and the hours are getting long. Some days I don't even open my refrigerator let alone the freezer. I'm thinking it's going to be one frozen food review a week for a while. I'm sure everyone is disappointed but I find I'm really good at disappointing people. On the plus side I have some extra income to try out some higher-end frozen foods so stay tuned. Please stay tuned.

In other developments:
After much thought and deliberation I've decided not to change the rating system here, which means it will continue to not exist. Hopefully that sentence made sense. At the end of the day not a lot of people really wanted a change, so if it ain't broke...

Frozen food review:
Orchid64 over at Japanese Snack Reviews chimes in with her thoughts on Rincle Petit Cone Ice. Regulars know I'm a fan of Asian frozen treats so it's pretty easy for me to appreciate a writeup on mini strawberry, mango, chocolate and cookie ice cream cones. Who says good things don't come in small packages?

-Ken

Review: The Skinny Cow Vanilla

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:50:00 +0000

Only recently I've introduced myself to The Skinny Cow, which is Nestlé's brand of low-fat frozen desserts. Somehow the mascot Skinny manages to be even creepier than Ben 'n Jerry's faceless shadow bovine. Seriously, I don't want a farm animal to seduce me.

Ridiculous marketing aside, it really is a minor travesty I hadn't tried The Skinny Cow sooner. What the heck took me so long? Perhaps the slightly strange and certainly wasteful packaging:

Today's review is for Skinny Cow Vanilla, which is a vanilla ice cream patty squished in between a pair of chocolate wafers. Wait a minute, that sounds like every ice cream sandwich ever made. While Skinny Cow isn't reinventing the wheel here it does offer a familiar flavor that's healthier than most.

Perhaps the first thing you notice is the size. For being diet food this is one hefty ice cream sandwich that will fulfill your sweet tooth. Kudos to a dessert that doesn't skimp.

That's the good news. And now here's the bad news. That size is allocated incorrectly. Translation: this sandwich is way, way too thick. The puck shape packs everything together and when you actually have trouble eating food... yea, that's a problem. It doesn't help that the super thick vanilla isn't creamy at all. It's a price to pay for ice cream made from skim milk. Even the crumbly wafers can gunk up your teeth. The swirl pattern is, if nothing else, pretty to look at I suppose. Overall a definite thumbs down on the texture.

Unfortunately the taste is average at best. The wafers aren't nearly sweet enough and I couldn't detect even a hint of vanilla in the ice cream. These flavors are familiar, just not well executed.

Click here for the ingredients and nutrition facts. 140 calories and 2 grams of fat are a bargain to indulge with this ice cream sandwich. Fifteen grams of sugar is a little high but so is three grams of fiber. Each sandwich is worth 2 Weight Watchers Points.

Overall I'd have to say this is a good dessert for anyone looking for a low-fat treat. Kind of hard to believe after reading this review but I would probably buy Skinny Cow Vanilla again. Yes a lot is sacrificed in the name of nutrition. But it's still an ice cream sandwich after all.

Review: Van de Kamp's Crunchy Fish Sticks

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:43:00 +0000

This product was provided for Frozen Food Journal.

I didn't eat a lot of seafood as a child. And let's just say the guy writing this review hasn't expanded his palette by all that much. But I have always enjoyed fried foods and, by extension, fish sticks. So on the rare occasion I eat fish sticks it's an experience that's foreign yet familiar.

Van de Kamp's Crunchy Fish Sticks is raising its game by making them from 100% whole fillets. No more minced meat pasted together into log shapes. But is the term high-quality fish stick simply an oxymoron? Let's find out.

The fish sticks arrive in a giant plastic pouch. Every time I baked the fish sticks I had trouble getting them to crisp the way I wanted. Of course, breaded frozen foods tend to be troublesome to propery cook. The instructions say to heat in a 425 degree conventional oven (Van de Kamp's does not recommend a toaster oven) for 12-15 minutes, flipping over the fish sticks halfway through the process.

The whole fillets definitely make a difference. If you break apart the fish sticks you can actually see the flaky Alaskan pollock. The texture is superior to other fish sticks. Also, as expected the fish flavor is mellow. Goes great with a hint on lemon. I was, however, disappointed with the breading and that's even excluding the crispiness issues. It's greasier than I expected and a bit bland. Considering the high sodium I was expecting more.

If you click here and look up FISH STICKS - 44 COUNT you'll find the old nutrition facts and ingredients. How do I know it's old? Because the first ingredient is minced pollock. The official Van de Kamp's website has an irritating cartoon fish that keeps screaming "yea" whenever you wave your mouse over it. Evidently that fish is too busy screaming to update the information on its products.

A half dozen of these fish sticks really has 230 calories, 35mg of cholesterol and 480mg of sodium. Each serving also boasts 200mg of Omega 3 Fatty Acids and ten grams of protein.

One box of 44 Van de Kamp's Crunchy Fish Sticks sticks runs more than five dollars. If you're out buying fish sticks definitely consider this product.

Rachael Ray Magazine Rates the Best Frozen Pizzas

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:37:00 +0000

Rachael Ray has her own magazine evidently. And the online version of this glossy rag rates the best frozen pizzas. The seven categories are overall, cheese, pepperoni, vegetable, sausage, crust and oddball.

High-end brands like Wolfgang Puck, Amy's Kitchen and California Pizza Kitchen make the cut but so do Tombstone and DiGiorno. Moral of the story: pizza is pretty much impossible to screw up.

Review: Nestlé Delicias Coconut

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:10:00 +0000

From the website:

Made especially for Latinos craving the flavors of home, the NESTLÉ® Delicias brand brings these authentic frozen desserts to your freezer.

Okay, so all the non-Latinos need to leave right now. Sorry, but Nestlé has spoken. Evdently whites, blacks, Asians and the rest aren't interested in coconut ice cream.

That's a shame because Nestlé Delicias Coconut is very tasty. The best feature about this dessert is the texture. I often talk about how smooth an ice cream is but this product is at another level. Velvet-esque. And the taste isn't shabby neither. The coconut flavor lies in the background while the sweet cream hits your taste buds. The coconut is subtle; the way it should be.

Unfortunately one can hardly appreciate the luscious ice cream due to annoying coconut bits that Nestlé inconveniently sprinkles throughout an otherwise excellent product. Honestly, how often are foods improved with bits of coconut? I'm guessing somewhere between rarely and never. Leave the ice cream alone. No one wants to chew through shredded nonsense.

Click here for the ingredients and nutrition facts. Whey is the first ingredient listed, which is followed by the usual suspects milk, sugar and cream. Each half cup serving contains a sizable amount of calories (130), fat (4 grams) and sugar (15 grams).

I didn't catch the price but I imagine this quart costs a pretty penny. Overall this is a good treat. But yea, those coconut pieces derail what could have been a great ice cream. I would never buy Nestlé Delicias Coconut but if someone offered me a scoop I'd certainly take one. Probably two.

This Is Somewhere Between Genius and Abomination

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:52:00 +0000

EatFreely.org

Sounds like a website for some green-thinking, non-profit, organic food movement, right? Close. It's for Hot Pockets. Hot Freakin' Pockets. And really, the joke doesn't stop at the domain name as EatFreely.org promotes the portability of its stuffed sandwiches with subtle zingers like WINNERS EAT ON THE GO. LOSERS STAY PUT.

I'm not a huge fan of Hot Pockets (there's not a single review posted here at the moment) but I give them credit. Instead of inane advertising for frozen products the brand has created a tongue-in-cheek campaign that's harmless and ultimately entertaining.

Review: Maeda-en Green Tea

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:34:00 +0000

I had never tried Maeda-en Green Tea ice cream. In fact I don't remember ever seeing it until last week. Then again, Asian products tend to look alike.

I did say products right?

As luck would have it fate did in fact bring Maeda-en and me together, so now you get this review. Maeda-en is a Japanese tea company that makes a wide variety of items, all of which you can peruse on its dismal product page. Is it really asking too much for companies to provide more than crappy pictures and curt descriptions on their websites? C'mon folks.

Anyway. Ice cream is one of Maeda-en's more popular offerings. I love Fubuki Green Tea and was hoping this would be equally divine.

Ehh, no such luck. Maeda-en Green Tea ice cream is silky smooth but the flavor is noticeably weaker compared to Fubuki. It has that delicious yet hard-to-define quality that defines green tea ice cream... but barely. And because green tea ice cream already has a subtle flavor this isn't ideal.

One factor in Maeda-en's favor is the nutrition facts. With 120 calories, 5 grams of fat and 10 grams of sugar per 1/2 cup serving this is a dessert you can indulge without feeling so guilty. Also the small amounts of fiber, Vitamin A and calcium shouldn't be dismissed.

Since green tea ice cream is a rare treat I recommend getting the very best you can find. And Maeda-en doesn't stack up to Fubuki's version. Considering how readily available Fubuki ice cream is I don't see any reason ever to buy this Maeda-en product.

Weekend Wrap #5

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:51:00 +0000

What to expect next week:
Things are finally getting back to normal. Following a longer-than-expected hiatus I'm back and ready to dive into the usual routine. Hopefully I'll be writing two reviews per week. That's in addition to any frozen food thoughts that are on my mind.

In other developments:
Please drop a line as to whether Frozen Food Journal should have ratings for reviews. It's something that's on my mind and while I'm quite experienced with performing extended soliloquies on a lot of stuff this is a subject matter that requires other opinions. So please let me know what you think. Sharing is caring.

Still tinkering on a few other interesting posts but they've been thrown on the back burner. Right now I'm focused on getting on track with frozen food reviews. Speaking of which...

Frozen food review:
Dubba shares his opinion about Mikawaya Strawberry Mochi Ice Cream over at On Second Scoop. Mochi ice cream, for the uninitiated, is a small ball of ice cream wrapped inside a sticky rice cake. It's for the culinary experience rather than a straight-up dessert. Last summer I tried the Mikawaya green ice mochi and loved it but not enough to justify the hefty price tag.

Why Frozen Food Journal Doesn't Have Ratings... and Why It May in the Future

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:02:00 +0000

Recently I received an email asking why I don't implement a rating/grade system. When I began Frozen Food Journal a little over a year ago I knew this place would primarily be a review site. I also knew it was uncommon for a review blog not to have ratings.

Yet here we are.

Back then I decided against a rating system because I wanted readers to reach their own conclusions rather than emphasize on a number or keyword. And I'm pretty happy with the way things are. But what say you reader: should Frozen Food Journal have some kind of rating system? If so, should it be a 1-10 scale, a pass/recommend feature or something in between?

Drop a comment or email me at frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com

Review: Tina's Red Hot Beef Burrito

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:03:00 +0000

A lot has happened with Camino Real Foods since I last reviewed Tina's Bean & Cheese Burrito back in February. After complaining about the reduced size (from 5 oz to 4 oz) and new-and-not-improved recipes CRF eventually converted back to the original recipes (albeit while keeping the burritos at four ounces).

Since that announcement in May the transition has been slow going. Whenever I would visit the supermarket this past summer I would see a few Tina's original products sprinkled with bunches of the new recipes still sitting in their boxes. Not surprisingly the new recipes were not selling because people don't like to eat mediocre food. Eventually the inventory moved and by the time I went to Ralphs last week the new recipes were all gone.

The circle is now complete. It's time to try Tina's again.

Today's selection is the Red Hot Beef Burrito. I had never tried it before but after my first taste I would definitely consider buying it again for a variety of reasons. First of all, it's a breeze to prepare. Heat one in your microwave on full power. Tina's suggests 40 seconds per side. I went with two minutes total and was pleased with the results. Don't cook too long or the filling with burst through.

The filling consists of teeny weeny pieces of ground beef and pinto beans blended into a sloppy orange paste. It sure doesn't look pretty but taste-wise it's what you'd expect from a budget burrito. It's wrapped inside a chewy flour tortilla that's functional more than flavorful.

When it comes to cuisine I'm definitely not a heatseeker. So I was a little nervous about how spicy this Red Hot burrito would be. Turns out the Mexican seasonings (red chilies, green jalapeno puree, black pepper, red pepper and garlic powder) provide a mild heat that lingers in the back of your throat, which suits me fine. I hate it when spiciness overpowers a dish.

Click here for the ingredients and nutrition facts. Each burrito contains 260 calories, 9 grams of fat (3.5 saturated) and 440mg of sodium. On the plus side it is a good source of fiber, protein and iron. All in all not too terrible.

Tina's Red Hot Beef Burrito is a quick, tasty and portable way to snack. At three for a dollar it's a bargain.

Review: Klondike Triple Chocolate Bar

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:52:00 +0000

If you're a regular reader of Frozen Food Journal you know I'm a huge fan of chocolate frozen desserts. So it's no surprise I really like the Klondike Triple Chocolate Bar. I mean, this thing is so packed with chocolate it makes Willy Wonka blush.

Check this out. There's five components to this ice cream bar and every single one has chocolate in it. Let's check them out one by one.

First off, there's the outer shell. Now this may sound hypocritical coming from someone who just finished saying he's a huge fan of chocolate but I'll say it anyway. There's actually too much coating. Unless you eat this Klondike in a hurry the outer shell lingers longer than it should. It has a soft and sweet texture that's initially very good but very quickly builds up. It starts to feel like chewing on a huge wad of cocoa butter.

Stuffed inside the chocolate shell are three different kinds of ice cream. Dark chocolate, white chocolate and umm, regular chocolate. My favorite flavor of the trio is definitely dark chocolate. Its powerful flavor may put off those wanting a milder flavor but I couldn't get enough of the stuff. The regular chocolate was typical while the white chocolate is a bit off, tasting like cream and sugar instead of its namesake.

Squeeze in between the outer shell and ~~sweet threesome~~ ice cream is a thin layer of fudge. It's the sweetest part of this product and turns gooey once the Klondike melts a little. I give credit to Klondike for managing to cram in yet another kind of chocolate even though it is a bit excessive.

Nutrition facts and ingredients can be found here by clicking on the corresponding picture. I must say for a somewhat smallish dessert the Klondike Triple Chocolate Bar is exceptionally unhealthy. The 230 calories aren't so bad... but 14 grams of fat, eleven of which are saturated? That's 22% and 55% of your daily recommended values. Also take note of the 21 grams of sugar.

Whenever I took a Klondike Triple Chocolate Bar out of the freezer I ended up pretty much inhaling it. It isn't perfect but it's still one of the best frozen treats I've enjoyed in awhile.

Ken's Five Favorite Reviews at Frozen Food Journal

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:44:00 +0000

It's been a little over a year and I thought I'd look back at several of my favorite frozen food reviews. These aren't necessarily my favorite products but rather a collection of what I think are my most personal and enjoyable write-ups. So without further adieu:

Lean Cuisine Lemon Chicken
One of my earliest frozen food reviews is also one of my favorites. This Lean Cuisine entrée was instrumental in starting Frozen Food Journal so I have a soft spot for this sumptuous combo of breaded chicken and fluffy risotto. And it's filling to boot!

Mars Snickers Ice Cream Bars
Snickers Ice Cream Bars are my favorite frozen treats. I threw up the post on Halloween. There's reference to Alpine White (with video!). Do I need more reasons to include this review as one of my favorites?

Tina's Bean & Cheese Burrito
A two-for-one post that was probably my most informative review. Back during the Tina's Burrito fiasco I was constantly updating the blog about what I (and others) thought was a bad decision by El Camino Real Foods to switch its recipes with smaller sizes and inferior ingredients To illustrate the differences the review showed and described both the classic and new versions of Tina's. Thankfully order was eventually restored to the universe when Tina's later brought back the original recipes though the smaller sizes remained.

Smart Ones Morning Express Stuffed Breakfast Sandwich
I was so busy enjoying this breakfast sandwich that I forgot to snap a picture of the packaging. A really impressive and healthy combination of turkey bacon, egg whites and low-fat cheese wrapped inside a flaky shell.

Kashi Southwest Style Chicken
Kashi didn't impress with the flavors in this $5 dish but I did enjoy quality and somewhat exotic ingredients. As Frozen Food Journal progresses I plan on sampling higher-end products. While this particular meal failed to impress there's still plenty of frozen foods to try.

Review: Dreyer's Mint Chocolate Chip

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:30:00 +0000

Of all the brands of ice cream out there (and I assume there are thousands in the United States alone) I'm most familiar with Dreyer's. It's readily available, affordable and a good quality product.

And of all the ice cream flavors out there (and there are many, made from both normal and wacky ingredients) I've probably had mint chocolate chip the most. It is, after all, among the five-most popular ice cream flavors in America.

Therefore it's not a stretch to suggest there's no ice cream I've had more of than Dreyer's Mint Chocolate Chip. And it's with good reason that I often eat this product; it's quite delicious. The ice cream has a mild mint flavor that's more sweet than refreshing. The soft texture is thoroughly consistent and I also liked the vibrant color.

Sweet, soft and colorful? This ice cream is unlike Breyers Smooth & Dreamy Mint Chocolate Chip in a lot of ways. But one similarity is the chocolate chips. The square chocolate chips are too thick, forcing you to chew the semi-bitter chocolate instead of allowing it to melt in your mouth. Chocolate chips = disappointing.

Click here for the ingredients and nutrition facts. Each half cup serving is packed with 160 calories, 9 grams of fat (6 saturated) and 15 grams of sugar. Even though the label lists zero trans fat note that partially hydrogenated coconut oil is used to make the "chocolaty chips" so there probably is a trace amount of the bad stuff.

Dreyer's Mint Chocolate Chip is not amazing like Thrifty Ice cream Mint 'N Chip but it is a satisfying and solid choice for dessert.

Weekend Wrap #4

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:31:00 +0000

What to expect next week:
Umm, probably not much. I'm taking a mini-break following the one-year anniversary of Frozen Food Journal and it's unlikely any reviews will be finished. Well, maaaaaaaaybe one writeup for ice cream. But no promises. Regardless, things should return to normal ~~on the 28th~~ in mid October. Sorry, things have come up.

In other developments:
It's not like it's been all rest and relaxation during the downtime. In fact I've been working hard behind the scenes. For example I've brought back the Related Posts feature. Now anytime you click on a post (like, let's say for Healthy Choice Sweet & Sour Chicken) up to ten related links will appear in the area between the labels and comments. They take a little time to load but I'd like to think patience is rewarded in this case.

Frozen food review:
I have yet to review a skillet frozen meal mostly because 1) they're usually for two people and 2) they're always expensive. That may change in the future... but until then check out Bryan from Cheap Eats and his review of Bertolli Steak, Rigatoni & Portabello Mushrooms Skillet Meal. Tough to go wrong with steak, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic and pasta.

But Frozen Rabbits Retain Most of Their Nutritional Content

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:55:00 +0000

Thought I'd pass along the flyer that was stuck to my car windshield a few days ago.

When Fresh Food Journal gets off the ground domesticated pigeon will definitely get a review.

The One-Year Anniversary of Frozen Food Journal

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 16:31:00 +0000

I can't believe it's been a year already. One simple reference to Spinal Tap has snowballed into arguably the best frozen food blog written by someone named Ken. Now's as good time as any to reflect on what Frozen Food Journal has accomplished and where it's headed moving forward. And what better way to do that than revisit the pros and cons of writing a food diary I wrote about early into this blog.

Frozen Food Journal provides an outlet to interact with others who share a similar passion.

This website doesn't earn a ton of traffic but I'd like to believe it's garnered a devoted following. Or at least a place for Google searchers to find info about frozen foods. It's incredulous that people are even remotely interested in what I have to say about burritos and milkshakes but somehow that's kinda/sorta/maybe happened. Also starting this blog led me to discover a lot of interesting food sites, some of which you can peruse down on the left-hand column.

Honing my writing skills.

Not that I'm constantly churning out quality content but I do enjoy the routine of having to compose several posts every week. Keeps me from getting lazy. I'm amazed how prolific some bloggers are while I can barely squeak out enough words to describe bad pasta. Still I think I've managed to find a groove with writing a couple reviews per week and supplementing them with news and opinion pieces. This is and will likely remain mostly a review blog. I don't have the time or energy to branch out (like I did early on with the Know Your Brand series) plus it seems like readers are most interested in the reviews. But this place is a journal and from I'll continue to inject other frozen food-related thoughts from time to time.

There is a chance this blog will make money.

Whoops! I can definitely say the expenses far outweigh the meager monetary gains I've made over the last 12 months. In addition to buying frozen foods and drinks I have to cough up money for miscellaneous costs. For example I had to sink $10 a couple weeks ago just to keep the domain name. My brilliant get rich quick scheme of blogging about frozen foods hasn't quite worked out. Yet I would be lying if I didn't say there have been some benefits. Every now and then I receive coupons for frozen food products. So while the greenbacks may not be rolling in I have gotten some free stuff out of this website. Let me mention that every product I write about here at Frozen Food Journal is subject to the review policy.

Blogging takes a lot of time.

As enjoyable as blogging is I definitely understand how people can burn out. For those who do it you know exactly what I'm talking about. What begins as an enjoyable hobby can devolve into a massive hassle. Think, write, delete, edit, upload, wash, rinse, repeat. The routine gets exhausting. And that doesn't include stuff like tinkering with tech issues, figuring how to attract more visitors and other assorted responsibilities.

I'll be taken my first extended break from this blog starting this week. During the downtime I'll be tinkering with a bunch of frozen food reviews in the works. I have almost 200 posts under my belt and I'm confident the experience will help me make this place better than ever. Hopefully you'll come along for another year.

-Ken

Tastiest Ice Cream Sandwiches and Frozen Entrées

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:37:00 +0000

Editors at the popular food site Epicurious taste tested 16 different brands of vanilla ice cream sandwiches. The criteria states:

The texture of the chocolate cookie should be moist yet slightly dense. It should not be dry or flaky. The ice cream should be creamy and sweet, never icy or tart. The ice cream–to-cookie ratio is also important: One element should never overwhelm the other.

After trying different types of ice cream sandwiches (including organic, low-fat, low-calorie, no-sugar-added, and nondairy products) Turkey Hill won over the judges. I keep reading great things about Turkey Hill. I'll have to make a mental note to try it sometime.

Other brands in the blind taste test included Nestlé, Good Humor and Blue Bunny. I'm surprised Skinny Cow rated so low. Recently I tried one of its ice cream sandwiches. I thought it was fantastic. Big, delicious and low fat too! The fact the folks at Epicurious gave it the same score as mediocre Klondike Slim-a-Bear 100 Calorie ice cream sandwiches. That miscalculation alone has me questioning their taste buds.

Moving on, Hungry Girl suggests her favorite guilt-free frozen entrées. She even goes so far as to proclaim Kashi Mayan Harvest Bake the best frozen meal of all-time. Obviously she's never tried Banquet Macaroni & Beef in Tomato Sauce. Also mentioned are offerings from Healthy Choice, Contessa, Jimmy Dean(!!) and Lean Pockets. While these frozen foods are reasonably low in calories and fat the commentators rightly point out that sodium content could be a concern. For example Contessa Green Cuisine Beef Stir-Fry has 30% of a person's daily sodium when consumed with teriyaki sauce. And that's per serving. Eat the entire bag and that figure jumps to 90%! As always, check out the nutrition labels to make an informed decision.

Favorite Summer Frozen Treat Poll Results

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 07:56:00 +0000

Over the summer I asked readers to vote for their favorite summer frozen treat. Now the numbers are in.

Not surprisingly ice cream emerged as the runaway winner with 31% percent of the vote, more than doubling the closest competition. While ice cream will always remain a favorite people's palettes are branching out with different confections. Nowadays frozen yogurt is the chic frozen dessert of choice with establishments Red Mango, Pinkberry and Yogurtland popping up all over the place. Also gelato has definitely gained some traction as globalization brings people, cultures and foods closer together. With more variety than ever it's difficult to imagine one frozen treat as an overwhelming favorite years from now.

Review: Jeno's Crisp 'n Tasty Pepperoni

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:53:00 +0000

Last month I reviewed the tasty-to-your-tongue but awful-for-your-life Jeno's Crisp 'n Tasty Cheese pizza. Today it's the pepperoni version. And away we go!

Tear away the shabby plastic wrap and insert the frozen pizza in a preheated oven. Because I don't have baking sheets I placed the pizza inside my frying pan. Either way, at 450 degrees give the food 10-12 minutes to properly cook. And remember to let it cool down!

This pizza is essentially the Jeno's cheese pizza minus some cheese and sprinkled with tiny red pepperoni cubes. Pepperoni cubes remind me what I munched on for elementary school lunches. Square pizza and chocolate milk five days a week. Those were good times.

But this particular product is not good times. I found the cheese to be overcooked, bland, stringy and short supply. The tomato sauce is also lacking both in quantity and quality. Dried-out Slim Jims is the closest comparison I can think of to describe the pork, chicken and beef pieces formed into pepperoni bits. If you like the flavor of artificial salty goodness then you're in luck. Everyone else... uhh, too bad?

The one positive going for Jeno's Crisp 'n Tasty Pepperoni is the crust. While it doesn't turn out crisp like the box promises the crust does offer a good enough bite that's pleasantly chewy on the inside. Keep napkins close since there's a twinge of grease in every crevice.

Click here for the nutrition facts and ingredients. This personal pizza contains 490 calories with almost half deriving from fat -- 26 grams total, seven saturated and "only" 2.5g of trans fat. I say only because Jeno's cheese pizza has six. There's also a ton of sodium. Positives (which are few) include modest gains in protein, calcium and iron.

I've eaten a number of cheap frozen pizzas for this blog. I have deservedly low expectations for them... yet Jeno's Crisp 'n Tasty Pepperoni still falls short. While the pizza is rather filling for a dollar the mediocre taste and horrible nutritional content seals its fate. Pass.

SELF Magazine Names Healthiest and Tastiest Frozen Foods

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:29:00 +0000

Foods from the freezer included in the 2009 Healthy Food Awards are fries, sorbet, ice cream, pop(sicle), veggie burger, veggie meal, meat meal, seafood meal, sausage, pizza and waffle. Lots like high quality brands like Trader Joe's, Edy's (aka Dreyer's for those of us here out west) and Kashi make the list.

Morningstar Farms Veggie Grillers Original takes the title of best veggie burger. I'm not an expert on meat substitutes but I have to believe there's a better option out there. Aren't those Boca burgers supposed to be good?

I definitely want to try the winner in the sausage category, Banquet Brown 'N Serve Turkey Patties. I particularly enjoy the Brown 'N Serve Lite Original for its flavor and reasonably low fat. I'm pretty sure I'll like the turkey version too.

Here's the description for the best meal meal, Organic Bistro Savory Turkey:

"Like a dish Mom would whip up," a diner said of the gluten-free turkey and quinoa pilaf.

Was this particular person raised by a four-star chef? Because I sure as hell don't remember my mom making that for dinner. Unless organic turkey and quinoa pilaf is code for Spam and rice.

Fires, Fish Sticks and Sprinkles

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:27:00 +0000

Haven't written about my adventures at the supermarket in quite some time so let's go.

I'm sure you've heard about the raging fires in the LA area. So far they've burned over 100,000 acres, 50 homes and killed at least two firefighters. It hasn't helped temperatures have been hovering in the 90s for the last week. Over the weekend enormous plums of smoke dominated the skyline:

Luckily I don't live near the flames and only had to deal with poor air quality and sweltering weather. It was exceptionally dry all week and I quickly depleted the treats in my freezer. On Sunday I headed over to Ralphs and after staying inside the air-conditioned supermarket longer than necessary got around to shopping. Purchases included:

Type of Frozen Food	Regular Price	Discount	Quantity
fish	$6.49	$6.49	1
dinner	$3.69	$3.69	1

ice cream sandwich

$4.99

$2.49

I redeemed a couple coupons. Free frozen food is always nice. In terms of dessert I went with chocolate as usual. In fact this ice cream sandwich is super chocolatey and delicious. It was a good choice.

But speaking of cholocate, I went to an all-you-can-eat restaurant on Saturday. It was kind of a bust because I dined during that odd hour when breakfast isn't quite over but lunch isn't exactly ready. So I was pairing waffles with pizza, turkey sausage with salad, etc. Strange combos. Nonetheless the food was tasty and I was famished; multiple plates were finished off.

But I did save room for chocolate soft serve on a cone.

Normally I don't add sprinkles but thought I'd add a little color this time.

-Ken

Review: Banquet Macaroni & Beef in Tomato Sauce

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:08:00 +0000

I'm not negative enough in my frozen food reviews. I've had people accuse me of being an insider for the frozen food industry. Right, because multi-million dollar corporations can't think of better ways to promote their products than through a little-read and often-bungled blog.

But considering all these horrible frozen food webisodes maybe the industry is crazy enough to hire me.

But back to my (lack of) negativity. There's a couple reasons I haven't come down hard. First of all, I like frozen foods. If I didn't I wouldn't spend all this time and effort doing this. Secondly, every single review is for something I want to try. 90% of the stuff is paid for out of pocket so even when I don't like certain frozen foods I try to find positives because I don't want to fee like an idiot for spending money on a piece of junk.

Now... with all that being said, I had no faith in liking Banquet Macaroni & Beef in Tomato Sauce. Just look at it. Does that look or sound appetizing to you? I ready to eviscerate this meal... but first I had to cook it. Slit the plastic film and microwave on high for two minutes. Give the food a stir, heat for several more minutes and voila! Ketchup and kibble sprinkled on top of pasta.

Just kidding, this entrée actually isn't that awful. Instead it's a bland and cheap spaghetti. The macaroni pasta is decently sized and easy to chew. It's doused in a harmless tomato sauce that's weak in thickness and flavor. The chewy meatballs resemble beef, which is about all you can expect from a one-dollar meal. I did bite down on a hard piece of cartilage. At least I hope it was cartilage.

In a shocker... this Banquet entrée is reasonably healthy! Yes, the sodium content is absurd (especially for food with such lackluster flavor) but also consider the low (less than 10% of a persona's daily value) calories, fat and cholesterol. There's a nice boost of potassium, fiber and protein in addition to traces of B vitamins and minerals.

I would never suggest people go out and eat Banquet Macaroni & Beef in Tomato Sauce. But to be honest I expected a lot worse. It's tolerable, not terrible.

Weekend Wrap #3

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:31:00 +0000

What to expect next week:
I haven't put a dent in the two long-term posts I'm supposed to be working on. And one of them has to be ready in two weeks. And I thought of another huge post to write. Gulp. Time to crack that whip.

None of those long-term items are food reviews. But I will post something about a certain budget frozen entrée in the coming days. My freezer actually is quite barren at the moment. Look forward to correcting that problem on Sunday. If I get some good stuff I'll write a recap of my shopping trip.

In other developments:
I thought I would clarify why max results for labels and older posts are limited to five posts per page. Since I upload a ton of pictures (over one hundred on Flickr and dozens of nutrition facts on Blogger) I don't want people with sluggish internet connections (myself included) to have to long load times.

Frozen food review:
Review the World is a random collection of write-ups by a guy named Brian. He has a really humorous take on Hungry-Man Sports Grill Beer Battered Chicken that might be more hilarious and informative than Frozen Food Journal's take on the same dinner. Regardless, both of us agree it's an average meal.

-Ken

Review: Dreyer's Fruit Bars Tangerine

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:25:00 +0000

Every year I think July is the hottest month of all. Then August comes along and socks me in the mouth. Lately I've been eating a lot of popsicles to cool down. Even more than usual. Yesterday I tried the tangerine flavor of Dreyer's Fruit Bars for the first time and figured I'd share my thoughts.

I love tangerines. They're one of my five favorite fruits. But I don't enjoy foods flavored like tangerines or oranges. They all taste like freakin' OJ! But maybe that's just me.

This popsicle has a sharp, tart flavor and a slightly bitter finish. It's like an orange mixed with a grapefruit, which is hilarious because grapefruit is one of my five least favorite fruits. Yea, let's just say I wasn't a huge fan of the taste. But I did enjoy the thick and icy consistency of the fruit bar. Also tiny pieces of orange pulp are barely perceptible to your eyes and tongue if you don't stop to look and lick.

Click here for the ingredients and nutrition facts. This tangerine popsicle is fat, cholesterol and sodium free. The main thing to take away is each fruit bar contains 80 calories, 19 grams of sugar and an excellent source of Vitamin C.

Dreyer's Fruit Bars Tangerine is inferior to the strawberry fruit bar in every way. I can't think of a single reason why I would get Tangerine when there's so many better flavors out there.

Review: Kashi Southwest Style Chicken

frozenfoodjournal@gmail.com — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 07:13:00 +0000

I put a lot of stuff in my body that's bad for me. Not drugs silly. I'm taking about food. I eat a lot of unhealthy food. Some of the nutritional lowlights at Frozen Food Journal include Banquet Chicken Fried Beef Steak Meal, Hungry-Man Boneless Pork and Haitai Nougat Ice Bar. But my poor diet also extends beyond the freezer. I have eaten scraps off the floor, from other people's plates and out of trash cans. I consume some form of chocolate daily and enjoy nothing more than a bucket of fried chicken.

Suffice to say I am not a healthy eater. Yet I constantly consume Kashi products like GOLEAN Cereal and Chewy Granola Bars. Thus the paradox of Ken continues.

Which brings me to Kashi Southwest Style Chicken. I've been anticipating this meal ever since I redeemed my Kashi frozen entrée coupon two months ago. Was it worth the wait? Could the company parlay its nutritious ideals to frozen foods? Would this entrée taste better than dirt?

This meal gets off to a good start thanks to its easy preparation. Peel one corner of the plastic film before microwaving on high for two minutes. Give the food a good stir then heat an additional two or three minutes.

Kashi says the grilled chicken breast is seasoned with lime, cumin and a hint of chipotle. There's definitely some lime though the other flavors are negligible. Overall the chicken isn't great and the meat tastes extremely dry. The watery ~~tomato paste~~ southwestern sauce tries to balance things out but falls woefully short. Also the red bell peppers, green bell peppers and green chilies don't contribute much aside from color and bland mushiness.

The rest of the entrée, however, is quite good. Leading the way is the Kashi 7 Whole Grains & Sesame™ pilaf. Made from a blend of oats, brown rice, rye, wheat, barley and sesame seeds it's a complex collection of textures and flavors. There's also a twinge of spice, cilantro and garlic enveloping the pilaf, which accentuates the mellowness of the grains. Little black beans provide a familiar Mexican flavor. I wish this dish had more tomato pieces because they're exceptional. The fire-roasted onions and corn are delectable as well.

Click here for the nutrition facts and ingredients. Not surprisingly Kashi has created a healthy and well-balanced frozen entrée. There's only 240 calories, a small amount of fat (no saturated or trans) and cholesterol. Watch out for the high sodium. Benefits include over 20% of a person's daily fiber and protein. This meal is also excellent source of Vitamin C as well as a good source of potassium and iron.

It's rare to find an all-natural frozen meal packed with high-quality goodness like Kashi Southwest Style Chicken. Then again it retails for more than $5, which is a very high premium for an entrée that isn't remotely filling and not quite tantalizing. If price is of no concern then definitely try this product. Or if you're willing to pay a premium for something healthy and convenience consider Kashi. Personally I won't get this again unless it's on clearance.